Buffer zones outside abortion clinics will come into force at the end of October.
MPs voted to bring in legislation seeking to ensure women do not face harassment outside clinics more than a year ago. But delays emerged over the issue of silent prayer, where anti-abortion activists quietly wait outside abortion clinics which some women find intimidating.
Campaigners said the law would be watered down in practice if it was not also banned, while anti-abortion groups argued that banning it would threaten their rights to freedom of expression and religious belief. The new Labour government has fast-tracked the measure and confirmed the safe access zones will finally come into effect from October 31.
The new law prohibits protests within 150 metres of clinics or hospitals providing abortion services in England and Wales nations as part of the Public Order Act, which received royal assent on May 2 2023. The law will make it illegal for a person to do anything deemed to intentionally or recklessly influence someone’s decision to use abortion services, obstructs them, or causes harassment or distress to someone using or working at such premises. It is understood silent prayer could come within this scope but the College of Policing and the Crown Prosecution Service will set guidance in the coming weeks.
The maximum penalty for anyone convicted is an unlimited fine.
Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips said: “The right to access abortion services is a fundamental right for women in this country, and no-one should feel unsafe when they seek to access this. We will not sit back and tolerate harassment, abuse and intimidation as people exercise their legal right to healthcare, which is why we have fast-tracked this measure to get it up and running without further delay.”
Women’s health minister Baroness Merron, Minister for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health said: “The safety and wellbeing of women accessing abortion services remains our priority. No women should feel scared or threatened when accessing these services, and it is only right they are protected from any abuse or harassment.”
Heidi Stewart, chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas), said she is “hopeful” concerns around silent prayer have been recognised, adding: “For the safety, dignity, and wellbeing of women accessing healthcare, we must ensure that all forms of harassment are prohibited outside abortion clinics.”
Louise McCudden, from MSI Reproductive Choices, said the new zones will protect women and frontline healthcare workers, adding: “Whatever your personal views are on abortion, nobody should be harassed while accessing healthcare.”
But Catherine Robinson, spokesperson for Right To Life UK, said the zones will mean “vital practical support provided by volunteers outside abortion clinics, which helps to provide a genuine choice, and offers help to women who may be undergoing coercion, will be removed”.
Safe access zones were introduced through the Public Order Act 2023, following a free vote in Parliament that received cross-party support.